Man disrupts liturgy, hits Belgian archbishop with pie

November 08, 2010

A man hit Archbishop Andre-Joseph of Brussels in the face with a pie on November 1, as the prelate was presiding at a liturgical service.

A spokesman said that Archbishop Leonard had declined to press criminal charges for the assault. The Belgian prelate has been the focus of intense criticism because of his public statements on AIDS and on sexual abuse—statements which he says were twisted out of context.

(The AP story identifies Archbishop Leonard as "ultraconservative," thereby contributing to the campaign to isolate him.)

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The Archbishop already offered his true words to the media and made it clear his "original" words were twisted to give them a meaning he never intented. Did the media apologize? Of course not, they never do.
As for the pie incident, even if the Archbishop had said something offensive, nothing excuses anyone from disrupting a liturgical act and disrespecting an Archbishop.

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